Swaledale Festival wins Prime Minister’s award
9 Jun 2014 04:17 PM
North Yorkshire’s Swaledale Festival is
celebrating a record-breaking 2014 programme after being recognised with a Big
Society Award.
The
announcement comes as the 2 week community arts festival celebrates the close
of its 2014 programme which included music from local and international
artists, guided walks, talks and theatre productions.
The
festival, which is staffed by 120 volunteers, sees 8,000 attending more than 60
events in local churches, castles and pubs.
The Swaledale
Festival is a charity event, run by 2 part-time staff and an army of
local volunteers. The charity works with communities in Richmond and the
surrounding area throughout the year to develop a variety of arts projects for
local people.
The
Swaledale Festival Percussion project inspired 100 children in 5 Richmondshire
schools. The children worked with a local woodwork experts to make instruments
while learning technical, manual and communication skills as well as learning
about local heritage. The 5-month project ended in March with all the children
performing with professional Samba band Forro Porro to a sell-out audience in a
local church, playing the instruments they had helped to make.
This year the Swaledale Festival organisers arranged for
visiting international musicians to perform concerts in 14 local care homes for
residents who were unable to get to Festival events.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
For
over 40 years, volunteers, staff, businesses and local organisations in North
Yorkshire have worked together to create one of Britain’s leading arts
festivals, attracting thousands of visitors to the area.
The
Swaledale Festival’s innovative projects to bring performers into care
homes and sheltered housing and to educate and inspire local young people
throughout the year put world-class arts at the heart of the
community.
I’m delighted to recognise everyone involved with
this Big Society award.
Malcolm Creese, Artistic Director said:
Winning a Big Society Award means an enormous amount to
the team at Swaledale Festival, and to all the people who made the Percussion
Project such a memorable event. I am particularly thrilled for the 100 children
who took part; I can’t wait to tell them the good news.